The Dodgy Selkirk Boys

Ten years ago Coeur d’Alene climber, Caleb Lynch found a dihedral splitting the cirque wall in the slide creek drainage south west of Beehive Lake.

In 2022, Caleb and younger brother, Daniel, headed in to give the route a ground up attempt. Deterred by what looked like a poorly protected runnel involving hard chimney and off width technique, they hand drilled a rappel and descended.

June 20, 2024 Daniel Lynch was skiing beneath the wall, and I was photographing it from North Twin Peak. I whooped down to the stranger.

July 4, 2024 we head into the wall to give it a try.
To our massive surprise, another party was already on the route. It was Daniel Lynch, the skier I’d whooped to and friend, Mitchell Chamness. Completing the pitch two traverse, Mitch looked up at the offwidth and handed the lead over to Daniel. Placing a last, mediocre gold nut, Daniel launched. Nearing a rest, he grasped a juggy flake, leaned back on it and found himself airborne. The hold ripped and he soared past a ledge, coming to rest 40 feet lower and beneath a roof, in space.

Regaining the ledge, he climbed back to the belay and began rigging a rappel.

That’s when we arrived  

They went down, and we went up. I attempted to climb the offwidth, placing four bolts on lead but ultimately determined that it was nasty and lowered down.

The next day, I found a way around the runnels, leading to the eventual completion of the  route in mostly ground-up fashion.

The runnel variation stands as an open project to anyone interested in such things.

P1 5.7/ 5.8 R 45m

P2 5.0 traverse over detached block 10m

P3 5.8 PG This is the money pitch. mostly 5.7 with thin 5.8 near the top. Climb up and right from the belay and snug a #2 into an under cling flake and continue to the right, tip toeing around the water streaks which are present in June but dry by mid July. Place more nice gear in an under cling and move a few feet further right. When you hit the little sapling, start looking for the holds that bring you straight up through the little bulge. A distinctly in-cut edge for the right hand serves as a reliable landmark. This is a bit run out until you can get through the bulge. After these moves, a good rest awaits and small gear is available. Now have fun and use a lot of slings as you climb back to the left until you’re into the main dihedral of the wall. The dihedral mostly presents 5.7 climbing, but then you hit a thin section that incites some consternation. Afterwards, a cool hand crack delivers you through a notch and to the belay. Maybe I bolted this anchor too high but it makes for a nice rope pull when rappelling. 45m 

P4 5.8 move up and slightly left from the belay to a stance where you can place a variety of good gear before going through a bulge and to the top, 20m

1/2” 5-piece, stainless steel rappel stations 

125 meters ~ 425 feet total length of technical climbing 

3 rappels: Double 60m ropes with some down scrambling, or double 70’s to ground 

SW of Beehive Lake, a north facing wall on the east ridge of South Twin Peak, in the Slide Creek Drainage. If driving very slowly, there’s a filtered glimpse of this wall from the road just below the Harrison trailhead. You can also see this wall as you come up Beehive Dome if you’re doing the High Traverse for example. 

Bolted belay/rappel stations.

Gear to 3” and small-medium nuts 

Offset cams in .4/.5 & .5/.75 are helpful 

Bring every sling you can beg, borrow, or steal - 15 or more.

A light weight ice axe would feel pretty good if approaching in June or early July.